![]() ![]() Creationists viewed this absence, not just with regard to whale evolution but more generally, as proof that evolution didn't occur, as pointed out in a Scientific American article. Their bodies became more streamlined, and they developed tail flukes to better propel themselves through water, according to the Natural History Museum.Įven though scientists could predict what early whales should look like, for a long time they lacked the fossil evidence to back up their claim. Other body parts of early whales also changed. In later generations, more genetic changes occurred, moving the nose farther back on the head. Such individuals were more successful and had more offspring. The whales with this adaptation would have been better suited to a marine lifestyle, since they would not have had to completely surface to breathe. The evolution of the blowhole, for example, might have started with random genetic changes that resulted in at least one whale having its nostrils farther back on its head, according to. One of the best examples scientists have of natural selection, is the evolution of whales. By using Darwin's theory as a guide, and understanding how natural selection works, biologists determined that the transition of early whales from land to water occurred in a series of predictable steps. The colorful plumage of peacocks and the antlers of male deer are both examples of traits that evolved under this type of selection. ![]() havstad in " The Philosophy of Macroevolution." This long-term process is what turned dinosaurs into birds, amphibious mammals (such as an animal called Indohyus) into whales and a common ancestor of apes and humans into the people, chimps and gorillas we know today.ĭarwin also described a form of natural selection that depends on an organism's success at attracting a mate - a process known as sexual selection, according to Nature Education. (Image credit: Leonello Calvetti/Getty Images)īut when given enough time and accumulated changes, natural selection can create entirely new species, a process known as "macroevolution," according to Derek Turner and Joyce C. Archaeopteryx, shown here in this illustration, is considered the first bird-like dinosaur on record, dating to about 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period. ![]()
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